Top 10 Animated and Mainstream F/F Couples

There has been a rise in LBGTQ couple rep in recent years, not only in "adult" films and TV, but in media aimed at children. Animation especially has embraced the Pride Flag openly and with glee, for both young and older audiences. This is brilliant, of course. We need good news like this! More please!

The most prominent LGBTQ representation, however, are F/F couples, because we still have a collective phobia of anything considered effeminate, and of penetration, I guess. Or at least the privileged straight people at the top, like out-of-touch executives and censorship men who have no clue what they're doing, yet who control a lot of what we consume, do. I don't want to believe that the preference for F/F content is due to patriarchal fetishization, and society's unconscious bias towards lesbians and other queer women, who are for some irrational reason viewed as slightly less harmful than male gay relationships.

But until we get over that, here are my personal favourite fictional queer female couples that have achieved mainstream success, or are well known within their respective mediums, genres, and communities.

They're famous! They're positive! They're healthy! Being adorable and sweet doesn't hurt, either.

They have to be canon, however, and explicitly queer. No queerbaiting, no will-they-won't-theys, no "like sisters" platonic relationships, no "gal pals" here. Also it is my Top 10 list. You are free to make your own list, as well.

Here we go!

10. Ruby and Sapphire from Steven Universe - I admit I haven't watched this show in years, but from everything I've heard - the good and the bad - Ruby and Sapphire appear to be the only healthy same sex pairing in the entirety of Steven Universe (though are Gems genderless? Does that remain a confusing, contradictory and inconsistent topic?). Not to mention they're cute and substantial. Ruby and Sapphire's marriage in the final season (it had to be in the final season, typically) is one of the first same sex weddings ever featured in children's television. An awesome milestone. Or mile-Gem?...I'll shut up and move on.

9. Utena Tenjou and Anthy Himemiya from Revolutionary Girl Utena - A very complex and complicated relationship that isn't always the healthiest, to put it mildly. But it is one of the first canon same sex romantic and sexual pairings in anime, back in 1996. Their queer love is more explicit in the grand and awesome mess that is the film, Adolescence of Utena (which is debatably a sequel to the series, and some smart and well thought out theories support this). They love each other, even if they can live without the other. A beautiful and chaotic and even apocalyptic relationship. What precious, dreamy roses they are!

8. Princess Bonnibel Bubblegum and Marceline from Adventure Time - One of Cartoon Network's first LGBTQ successes. Bubbleline - a well developed relationship literally spanning centuries - from fangirling (?), to meeting, to dating, to breaking up, to gradual and reluctant friends, to back to loving and being a couple again. What a ride! It's all told naturally and understatedly in ten seasons, and beyond. Pink and purple/grey go well together, don't they? Now if only they could get over themselves once in a while, and Bubblegum get over her narcissistic tendencies.

7. Undyne and Alphys from Undertale - A video game inclusion, not technically animation. But it's colourful and adorable enough, so on the list it goes. I mostly know Undertale from hundreds of YouTube vids, but the obviousness of Undyne and Alphys's natural opposites-attract pairing is a joy to see, and in a game so profoundly and immensely popular and beloved at that. Fishy love FTW!

6. Harley Quinn/Harleen Quinzel and Poison Ivy/Pamela Isley from DC comics and its properties - No introduction needed. Well done, DC, and companies that branch from DC: you do some things right, after all. I don't always like how these two bad ladies' relationship is handled and executed, or how the start of their relationship is handled and executed - often it's written bafflingly and terribly - but that they're a couple at all now in practically every medium they appear in is itself a triumph. Bi lady love FTW! (Now know how to write bisexuals properly, TV and comic book writers, please).

5. Korra and Asami Sato from The Legend of Korra - The ones who started it all. 2014 doesn't seem like such a long time ago, does it? (Wow time flies way too fast). Remember how excited everyone on the internet was? It happened. Korrasami wasn't explicit, it had to be annoyingly subtle due to network censorship at the time, and it had to be confirmed to be canon by the cocreator in an online post. But it was unmistakably there. Korra and Asami helped to pave the way for more open LBGTQ representation in animation aimed at young people, arguably before Steven Universe. Their importance in LBGTQ media history cannot be underestimated. Regardless, they are great girlfriends together. My reviews of the comics go into further detail about them as a couple. They're both bi, they're both POC, and they both escaped a toxic love triangle by dating each other. Nuff said.

4. Sailor Uranus/Haruka Tenoh and Sailor Neptune/Michiru Kaioh from Sailor Moon - THE go-to when it comes to lesbian and same sex romantic couples in anime and manga, because it was the first one most anime fans ever experienced (nobody was fooled by them being "cousins" in the first English dub; I mean, come on, hardly anything was actually edited and censored!) These "opposites" - the masculine Haruka (often mistaken for a man) and the feminine Michiru (who's a cheeky minx, do not be deceived by her elegance and ladylike airs) - work so well together. They are in perfect, harmonious sync, in both their civilian lives and their Sailor Guardian duties. Their love and adoration for one another brings to shame most fictional heterosexual couples. Their sly banter, full of innuendos, in the anime is funny and noteworthy. While not really adults, they are mature and independent, and they know what they're doing, and what they want. They may appear to be antagonistic, hostile and callous in their first appearance, but as it turns out, they are friends and comrades. Helping out when they can. Together. Never apart. Haruka and Michiru are a joy.

3. Vi and Caitlyn Kiramman from Arcane: League of Legends - The newest addition, when it comes to F/F couples from animation aimed at older audiences. They are definitely a canon pairing - just because they haven't kissed yet doesn't mean that there isn't any sexual tension present. They're not dating - what with everything else going on - but their attraction towards each other is explicit, and bizarrely, kind of warm and wholesome. It's adorable and emotional, and it works. It manages to avoid the trap of queerbaiting. Vi and Caitlyn are opposites, with opposite lives, from opposite worlds. The gaps in class and privilege that divide these two could not be more apparent. Despite this and everything in between, and everything they had experienced and been taught about the "other", they grow to love each other. They may very well become a tragic, what-could-have-been couple in the future, but maybe the hope they share - between themselves and in their working to bring both their societies peace and unity - will stay aflame; and will eventually, painstakingly, prevail. A beating, human heart. (Is their ship name Violin? Or Vilyn?)

2. Adora and Catra from She-Ra and the Princesses of Power - From The Legend of Korra to this. How far we've come. Catradora - friends to enemies to friends to lovers. It's been a difficult, complicated, violent, and often toxic journey, but in the end, hope and love won. This lesbian love literally saves the universe. In a series that is a queer paradise, where it's like the colours of the Pride Flag and the identities they represent exploded and landed everywhere, why were we surprised?

1. Luz Noceda and Amity Blight from The Owl House - I had to. I had to number-one this. This enemies/rivals to friends to girlfriends canon pairing is too cute and wholesome for words. And it's in a freaking Disney show! Miracles can happen. Everything about Lumity is a miracle. Again we have opposites, and again in species, where their gender is pretty much the only feature they have in common (apart from shared interests and fangirling over books). And again they work enchantingly together, like in a fairy tale. I can't think of a single negative or dislikeable aspect about these girls and their sweet relationship, which, yes, is appropriate for all ages, fuck off bigots and conservatives (though they are the same thing, so why am I separating them like that?) All the triumph and win for Lumity!

How sweet and cute!

Thank you for reading.

See you, everyone! Have good, happy days, and a happy upcoming Pride Month 🌈💖💗

2022 Update

Well, in the month of May I decided to break one of my New Year's resolutions and return to Netflix, where I consumed A LOT of pop culture media. I watched dozens and dozens of movies, and I hated most of them. Okay, hate is a strong, loaded, negative and potentially harmful and toxic word, and I don't want to use and throw it around too much now, but I know I strongly disliked many of the contents, and it's not only a matter of taste, sensibilities and sensitivity. Or is it really just me? Do I hate everything now? Have I just come to that age?

While I don't regret my second chance choice, I may cancel my Netflix subscription again very soon. If it's mostly making me miserable, then what's the point?

I still want to consider myself a passionate and loving geek girl. I want to try to be positive, with so much negativity and hate in the world. However, there is nothing wrong with being more selective and, yes, picky with your tastes and interests. I am now divorced from, or at least keeping my distance from, some of the fandoms and areas of pop culture where I had felt happy and safe in in the past, but don't anymore. Due to me either outgrowing them, and realising them to be problematic and not making me happy anymore, or due to the persistent toxicity and unbridled hate in certain fandoms. Plus personal, family issues.

It's a healthier living that way, I think, and it leaves space for other things to love and be passionate about. No clutter, crowding or hoarding. Selfcare FTW!

I don't even think I like anime and manga anymore. I've liked and loved a handful of them, but SO MANY of them have pissed me off, in the past and in the present. And I don't like things that make me angry and upset. When it comes to the media I enjoy now, with scarce exceptions it's down to rewatching or rereading old favourites, and that's it.

If I don't love something, or if it's not occupying a warm, comforting and hopeful part of my heart and mind, then I don't keep it. It's as simple as that.

But back to Netflix: below I will give my final thoughts on the TV series' I have watched on the streaming platform this past month. I mean, when it comes to the films, the only ones I remember liking very much are Moxie (a rewatch), Yes, God, Yes, and Little Women (2019). Other films I've loved recently are not on Netflix, like Turning Red, Heathers, and Some Like It Hot.

Happy!

Anyway, onto the shows:

Netflix

Arcane: League of Legends - I skipped this last year because, well, it's based on a game series I've never played and had barely heard of beforehand (except that Jinx is apparently a very popular character). Video game adaptations have hardly had the best of reputations, anyway, to put it kindly. But I knew I had to see Arcane sooner or later due to the HUGE amount of praise it's receiving EVERYWHERE, from all walks of life. So, I finally checked it out.

Yeah, it is amazing. I had to view this nine-episode first season twice for me to fully understand and appreciate it, but it was definitely worth it. Arcane and other animated shows like it, that strive to be the best they can be with their beautiful and creative medium, they show the limitless possibilities. They show that yes, animation deserves to be taken seriously; just as seriously as live action, when telling - crafting - fantastic, resonating and relevant stories, and creating unforgettable, iconic and human characters. Why has this not been generally accepted yet, in this day and age?

Arcane contains practically everything and more. Its origins don't matter; the meticulous care, attention and love put into every single facet of its creation is incredible. I haven't seen such a perfect - i.e. adeptly executed - and beautiful tragedy in animation since Puella Magi Madoka Magica.

As of now, if I were to come back to Netflix in the future for one reason, it would be to watch the second season. I wouldn't say no to another rewatch, either. Bravo.

Heartstopper - I absolutely love the Heartstopper comics with all of my heart. And I knew it would only be fair to the TV adaptation for me to keep my expectations cautiously middling, and to keep an open mind no matter what happens; no matter what creative changes and decisions are made.

Overall, the first season is sweet, cute, adorable, wonderful, and so damn hopeful. As hopeful and optimistic as the comics. It loves the LBGTQ community and it shows it with nearly every shot and scene. A trans actress playing a trans girl character should not in of itself be so praiseworthy nowadays, as it is, finally, mandatory and a no-brainer in casting (I hope it is, at any rate), but that's where we are. 

The trans rep is only one of Heartstopper's revolutionary (why is it still so revolutionary!?) achievements. It's mainstream! And British! Oh how far we've come!

How many other shows - other anythings - can you think of that overtly acknowledge that bisexuality exists!?

With all that said, I probably won't watch the second season.

Why?

One name: Tao. 

I don't know why the show changed him to be massively insecure, knee-jerking-ly temperamental, violent and confrontational. But worst of all, he's a gaslighting, toxic friend to Charlie. He was never so horrible in the comics!

Okay, I'm going to go into full-on rant mode for the rest of this segment. Strap in:

Tao in the Heartstopper TV series is a symptom of an almost-never-diagnosed trope that I have recently come to recognise and hate with enough fury to never want to watch television again: he's the offender in a toxic friendship, which do exist in fiction (nearly always it's unintentional), and most definitely exist in real life, and he gets away with it even within the story's framing because he plays the victim. Constantly. Vehemently. How far he'll go to deliberately make people he supposedly cares for suffer is, quite frankly, scary. It's uncomfortable to watch. And we are still meant to sympathise with him, sometimes even over his victim, or more so than his victim. We are meant to side with him when he accuses his "friend"/target-for-all-his-issues of being selfish, never mind his own blatant selfishness.

Yeah. Fuck that.

PSA: You are not a bad friend if your entire universe does not revolve around the needs and wants of any of your friends. You are not a bad friend if you do not spend every single day, and every free time, and every waking second, with any of your friends. You are not a bad friend if any of your friends are not your number one priority all the time, no matter what. A true friend would understand that you are a person, an individual, with your own life, and that it's not the end of the world if you choose not to include them in some things - if you choose not to tell them absolutely freaking everything about yourself. That's up to you, and it's fine. A true friend would at least try to come to terms with the fact that things change and don't last forever; everyone grows, sometimes for the better (like in confidence), and it doesn't have to mean an end to a friendship. Adapt. Develop. Be supportive and happy for a friend's happiness.

But a toxic "friend" wouldn't want any of that. For they are not a real friend. For example, any new person in the friend's life - the toxic abuser's insecure way of thinking will automatically see the person as a replacement of them, regardless of context. They see any little, innocent change as a personal attack on them, an affront to them, a rejection of them. Because toxic friends see their friend as more of a security blanket than a person. It's codependency, not love and mutual respect.

And when the toxic "friend" gets angry and blames their problems, issues and actions on their friend, who did nothing wrong - who didn't do anything, period...I hope I don't have to explain how fucked up that is. Fear of being alone is no excuse to be a dick to someone close to you. Someone you like, understand (supposedly) and consider your family. But if you choose to be nasty to them, for petty, childish and selfish reasons, then the problem is entirely on you, and you should see a therapist.

It's not even insidious; it's obvious. But practically everytime I see toxic friendships in fiction it is never seen as such, and it acts like the victim is deserving of at least some of the blame, and so is required to say sorry, more than the toxic friend does - a million times more, in case the enabling of abuse wasn't clear enough yet.

The bad keeps coming: everything from above applies to Heartstopper, which has the added context of Charlie being a victim of bullying, with depression and low self esteem, and Tao knows this - he makes it very clear through dialogue that he does know this, and that he is aware of all of Charlie's problems - but despite his acute knowledge he still chooses to be a dick to Charlie. Solely because he feels like it. He is no better than the homophobic bullies; arguably worse since the words and actions of Charlie's best friend towards him will hurt him much more. Charlie, like the beaten down abuse victim he is, apologises first, many times, and he puts Tao's wants before his own. This is seen as the right thing to do.

Gaslighting at its finest, folks.

Why? Why are we still here? Why are toxic friendships not fully recognised yet, as toxic romantic relationships are? Though even then there persists a resistance and struggle, like when the audience is meant to side with an insecure and emasculated male partner when his female partner has a successful career and is happy. Because patriarchy!

It's one of the major problems I had with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, too, and look at the continuous popularity of that (and Joss Whedon is an abusive and bigoted monster and can go straight to hell).

It's exactly like that insulting and borderline offensive workaholic parent cliché that was bloody everywhere in movies in the nineties, and thankfully, deservedly died around the mid noughties, because, you know, adults working long and hard is needed so their kids don't go homeless and starve, because that's how life works, and not being home every second of every day with your kids does not make you a bad parent. Toxic friendships need to be seen through a similar critical lens.

You know we're in a bad place with this when Ralph Breaks the Internet of all things is pretty much the only mainstream story there is that is aware of the existence of, and examines and deconstructs, toxic, codependent friendships. It doesn't even do it that well, but it's all we've got! Except, there's also Jennifer's Body, and the children's book Castle Hangnail (see my review here).

Pardon my phrasing, but it's heartbreaking that the Heartstopper TV series is progressive in every vital aspect except for when it comes to platonic friendships that border on toxic and abusive. I could tolerate the unnecessary and one-dimensional inclusions of Imogen and Isaac, but not Tao's Flanderization.

*sigh*

Hilda and the Mountain King - It's a movie, but it's a conclusion, and is included as season 2's finale, so it counts. It's decent and serviceable, if messy in some places. Maybe I'm a bit indifferent because I'd read the comic beforehand and knew what was coming, but it's very good Hilda content all the same.

Disenchantment season 4 - Yeah, I think I'm done here.

If I were to give the writers the benefit of the doubt and believe they're not making stuff up as they go along; that they'd planned for all or nearly all the plot points and threads from the start - and some instances of foreshadowing throughout the series do support this - the payoffs to the foreshadowing, after long waiting and dragging of the audience's patience, are often erratically and messily placed, like at random. Then it doesn't matter anyway - it's not a big deal - because they are treated like they don't matter afterwards. That part's done, that mystery's solved, we can move on now! They are forgotten about in favour of other plot points and threads that will eventually not matter, and so on and so forth, like a spiral of meh. If it's not underwhelming at the moment it happens, it will be in hindsight.

So in the end, nothing matters, does it?

As a result, no character truly grows or develops; one episode after their "breakthrough" and they will revert back to exactly how they were in the first season (and exactly where they were then! Nearly nobody goes anywhere and stays there! It's like a time loop!), because too many comedy writers for too long have had trouble with character development. Hell, a lot of them believe no character in a comedy series should change, ever. Hooray for mediocre and unchallenging television!

Not a good idea when you're trying to be a comedic version of Game of Thrones.

Disenchantment still contains jokes that make me chuckle, and there are a few characters left that are endearing and are worth giving a damn about, but there is just too much going on. The cartoon is a mess. 

It's like RWBY all over again.

The Cuphead Show! - Another animated adaptation of a video game I haven't played. This is a fun, funny little nod to 1930s cartoons. I'm glad that anyone can watch it. It's PG and it's like watching Cartoon Network shows in the nineties all over again. A multigenerational nostalgia dose!

Derry Girls - No. No. No. I hate it.

I will try not to swear when talking about this "comedy" because I want to be better than it.

I don't understand why something so meanspirited, cruel, hateful, over the top and obnoxious has received universal acclaim, esteem and reverence. It doesn't matter the place and time period it's set in, I will never like meanspirited "comedies" where bullying and abuse are considered funny. "But the place and time period, though" should stop being used as an excuse, anyway.

Derry Girls has also become another example of why I hate, hate, hate the Butt Monkey trope. Love all your characters, writers; if there are characters you'll use who will exist just to be targets for others to emotionally and mentally abuse constantly with monstrous, vitriolic hate for no real reason, with no relief, then don't include them at all. Apart from everything problematic about it, it's lazy. So stop it. It'll save me blood vessels, and an aneurysm.

I didn't laugh at Derry Girls once. A few teeny tiny bright spots are not enough to curry favour with me. Mercifully the first season is short at six twenty-two-minute-long episodes, but if I had to choose between watching it again and having all of my limbs cut off, I would try to negotiate a third option.

This might really mark the end of me seeing any new live action TV series again, but especially comedies. I apparently didn't learn my lesson from The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

Ugh, I need a shower.

On that note, I'll round up my TV viewing by including a show not on Netflix - the Disney cartoon The Owl House, specifically the entirety of season 2, which I have consumed at last. A great place to end on. 

I remain in love with the series, thank heavens, in spite of how I can't conscionably say anything nice about Disney nowadays, and how I refuse to consciously support it financially. It has not earned anyone's forgiveness yet. But if it can keep up with The Owl House - plus after Turning Red - then we may talk, Disney. Brownie points, crumbs, newborn baby steps, and the relentless evil that is queerbaiting, after over a decade of your being "progressive" are no longer acceptable. Do it! Actually deliver! Be explicit! Don't be a coward! You succeeded with The Owl House so there's no excuses anymore for why you can't get with the times in your other works, like your films.

We arrive at the end of my post, where I attempt to be positive and look on the bright side of things, and largely fail. But I'm a little happier presently to have gotten all of this off my chest, all the same.

Speaking of bright sides, I've also recently fallen in love with two Broadway musicals, Heathers and Beetlejuice. Both based on classic films.

Take care, everybody. Stay safe, supportive and educated. Love you all 💖💗💖💗💖💗💝🥰

Graphic Novel Review - 'Baba Yaga's Assistant' by Marika McCoola (Writer), Emily Carroll (Artist)

It's my 800th review!!!!!!!

What better book to celebrate this milestone - not to mention there's my nearly ten years of doing this - than an all-ages witchy graphic novel?

'Baba Yaga's Assistant' is a magical, bizarrely calm and quiet and cosy, and understated and unpretentious, little comic. It's every bit the modern fairy tale, starring the wicked, devious, sassy, miffed Baba Yaga. I really like reading about the ancient Russian folklore witch and her chicken-legged house.

But this is the young wannabe assistant's story. It's her narrative, her coming-of-age, her struggle, her strife, her existentialism, her inner and outer strengths explored and put to the test, her weaknesses overcome.

Her name is Masha. And she's a great, wonderful character.

Because on paper, and in describing her, she might seem like a Mary Sue with nary any flaws, who accomplishes her tasks quickly and easily, and who is unrealistically calm about everything happening around her; able to take anything in stride. But by the magic of well-crafted (as well as just crafty) writing, and simple yet lovely and nuanced artwork, Masha flourishes as a fleshed-out human being worth looking up to in every panel she appears in.

An ordinary person (any innate magical powers she has is downplayed, and unimportant, compared to everything relatable about her), she is smart, resourceful, quick-witted and quick-thinking. Masha is not a child, but a young adult asserting herself and her place in life. She wants adventure. She is sad and vulnerable due to the deaths of her grandmother and her mother, as well as other changes and complications at home, where she'll have a new stepmother and little stepsister. But she is cool and collected when she needs to be; for someone who lives in a world similar to our own but where magic and dangerous witches are known to exist, she's very grounded, down-to-earth, and headstrong, never one to back down easily from any challenge thrown her way.

With the help of the stories of Baba Yaga, and other fairy tales told to her in the past by her beloved, dearly departed grandmother (who had herself encountered Baba Yaga as a child, and who raised the girl more than her father did), Masha will bravely weather any of the witch's tasks.

She is determined to become Baba Yaga's assistant (the witch had put an ad in the local paper, funnily enough), no matter what.

Masha has a funny and sarcastic side to her, an added spice to her character.

Levelheaded, assured, placid under pressure, practical, and the best person to turn to in a crisis - that's Masha. She's an assistant, but she possesses the capacity to be a leader. I love her.

She also has short brown hair and wears a purple cardigan, kind of like me. I definitely liked seeing myself in her as I read this comic, which is about her.

The house with chicken legs is a fun character in its own right, too.

'Baba Yaga's Assistant' is perhaps a bit too short, and not everything, especially concerning Masha's family problems, gets resolved in the end. It's a little rushed. Baba Yaga herself isn't very deep; she's pretty much the standard scary, cruel, child-eating witch and crone she's mostly depicted to be in both old and new tales and interpretations. She could have appeared more often here, and had some backstory. Like, is she really a mother and grandmother? Where is her family? Why is she the way she is? It's never explained.

But wow, it's hard for me not to adore this gem for what it is. The art, the characters, the tasks, the situations - they are all fully realised and creative. 'Baba Yaga's Assistant' is a delightful, organic, dainty, darling, comely, precious creation, and I'm glad to have finally picked it up.

There are Russian dolls, bears, frogs, snakes, potions, and music boxes, to boot.

Happy 800th (!!!!!!!!!!!!) review.

Final Score: 3.5/5

2022 Rereads (so far)

Tastes change. Perspectives change. Things once missed become so obvious now. And you wonder: "What happened?" and "What the hell was that?!" and "What the hell was I thinking back then?!"

Times change.

People change.

Or sometimes they don't. Not drastically, anyway. Sometimes things can continue to be loved and appreciated, by the older and wiser reader/viewer.

Nostalgia isn't always blind.

It all depends on the subject, and the content.

See my 2022 rereads and rereviews of the following:

'Maiden & Princess' by Daniel Haack (Writer), Isabel Galupo (Writer), Becca Human (Illustrator)

'Prince & Knight' by Daniel Haack (Writer), Stevie Lewis (Illustrator)

'Oh, The Places You'll Go' by Dr. Seuss

'Horton Hears A Who!' by Dr. Seuss

'The Lorax' by Dr. Seuss

'The Cat in the Hat' by Dr. Seuss

'How The Grinch Stole Christmas' by Dr. Seuss

'Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories' by Dr. Seuss

'Hortense and the Shadow' by Natalia O'Hara (Writer), Lauren O'Hara (Illustrator)

'Frozen: A Sister More Like Me' by Barbara Jean Hicks (Writer), Brittney Lee (Illustrator)

'The Nowhere Girls' by Amy Reed

'Sawkill Girls' by Claire Legrand

'The Princess and the Foal' by Stacy Gregg

'Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children, #1)' by Seanan McGuire

'Castle Hangnail' by Ursula Vernon

'Witch Wars (Witch Wars #1)' by Sibéal Pounder (Writer), Laura Ellen Anderson (Illustrator)

'Reverie' by Ryan La Sala

'The Hate U Give' by Angie Thomas

'The Secret Loves of Geek Girls' by Hope Nicholson (Editor), Various

'Heartstopper Volume One' by Alice Oseman

'Heartstopper Volume Two' by Alice Oseman

'Heartstopper Volume Three' by Alice Oseman

'Heartstopper Volume Four' by Alice Oseman

'Fruits Basket' by Natsuki Takaya

'Chibi Vampire' by Yuna Kagesaki

Graphic Novel Review - 'Salt Magic' by Hope Larson (Writer), Rebecca Mock (Artist)

Another recent witchy fantasy graphic novel, and again I don't get it.

'Salt Magic', in my opinion, is a boring, confusing, poorly thought out, poorly paced, and poorly structured mess. Weirdness and surrealism should not equal something this befuddling and awkward. There's no fantasy element to it at all until over 50 pages in; up to then it's just a dull historical fiction book starring an annoying little brat for a protagonist and her growing older siblings. Said protagonist (I really can't be bothered to remember her name, or any of the characters' names) keeps making mad, sudden decisions, and jumping to conclusions, and trusting people, including witches who very clearly want to either kill her, drain her life, or eat her, or all of the above!

The ending is a random and out of nowhere slight to the protag and the book as a whole, as well. Like, WTF?

Lots of random huhs?, whats? and whys? keep happening in 'Salt Magic'. It's hard to keep count. WTF? could apply to the rest of it.

It is also yet another woman scorned story, where the female villain is evil because men broke her heart.

The artwork doesn't appeal to me, either.

Oh. Is it supposed to be a retelling of 'The Snow Queen', set in Oklahoma and the Southern US deserts in the 19th-to-early 20th century? It's so vague, but I might just be reaching.

In conclusion, I unfortunately don't care for this one. It's sad because I have great admiration and respect for Hope Larson.

Oh well, can't win them all.

Final Score: 1/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'Life of Melody' by Mari Costa

Yet another disappointing fantasy and fairy tale graphic novel read. Great concept, the messiest of executions.

Why are there so many of these modern graphic novels that are underdeveloped, poorly structured, and confusing?



Premise/blurb:

Two (supernatural) men and a baby.

In the fairy realm, a Fairy Godparent is tasked with fulfilling fairy tales in the human world. The human protagonist's own motivations and wishes are of little consequences to the fairy working their case. As such, humans are regarded as pretty difficult to work with by the fairies, who otherwise don't seem to know much about them. The fairy Razzmatazz decides that the perfect solution to get around how unaccommodating humans can be is to raise the fairy tale protagonist from infancy to her 18th birthday. Despite his superiors telling him the idea is completely crazy, he commits to it, and by extension, commits to becoming co-parent with a beast named Bon, who found the child at the same time as him.


Razzmatazz and Bon, disguised as humans via glamour, fake being married in the human world, where they raise baby Melody, in spite of and because of each other. They grow to love each other for real in the process. Supposedly.



Problems:

Bizarrely, throughout reading 'Life Of Melody' I regularly forgot that Melody existed. She's not a character; she's a nonentity. Yeah, she's a baby, with not much of a personality to be formed yet, but she should have a presence! She's barely even a plot device to drive and develop Razz and Bon's relationship. This in a book titled 'Life of Melody'. It's not about her or her life.

Melody's birth parents and their possible whereabouts are only brought up once, and then that potential development is completely dropped. Like many ideas and developments in the graphic novel.

I never bought that Razz and Bon ever really liked each other, much less genuinely love one another. Even for a romantic comedy, and even for a haters-to-lovers romance, they are dysfunctional, to the point of being abusive towards each other. There are a few instances of physical violence. And blood. 85% of the graphic novel, they can't stand the other; being together is more trouble than it's worth to them. It's unfortunate because, with better, breezier writing, I could see them being adorable together, to go with their equally potentially adorable characters.

What is up with Razz suddenly having fangs, claws and red eyes near the beginning? Where it's revealed that...what, he's not fully a fairy? This is never brought up again. I kept waiting for it, for a payoff, for it to go somewhere. For Razz's dark side to reappear. For him to form a connection with the beastly Bon based on that, as it was set up to look like that was where it was going. But it didn't.

It doesn't come back. It goes nowhere.

On the subject of discarded character traits, and randomly-introduced-far-too-late character traits, Bon has a third eye. On his forehead, that he has allegedly always had. How? Why? No explanation. It was never noticeable before, and the reader is not made aware of it until near the end of the book. The eye lets him see into people's memories. Plot wise, this only exists to instigate the final conflict between Bon and Razz.

The ending is rushed as hell, too. Too many things happen at once, too quickly, too conveniently, and out of the blue.

Deus ex machinas abound.

Another random character trait added in that they've-always-had-just-take-our-word-for-it: Razz's musical instrument playing. I had to go back to the comic to remind myself that it is the piano he plays! How ridiculous is that?

SHOW DON'T TELL!

There's no solid sense of how much time passes, either. While still in the "first act", as it were, dialogue says that a few months have passed since Razz and Bon have lived together. Then Melody grows old enough to speak words, walk, and even skate. She's the story's unintended time indicator. The main couple themselves don't grow and develop significantly; at least, not until the last few pages. Of the stupidly rushed ending.

Spoiler below:


Do Razzmatazz and Bon seriously both become human at the end, when they finally reconcile and love each other? The LBGTQ couple have to change fundamental parts of themselves - no, their species' -and give up everything about themselves, including where they came from, in order to live in peace together and raise Melody, in an already fantastical setting? What kind of twisted message is that? What about their families back home? AND WHAT ABOUT RAZZMATAZZ'S MONSTROUS SIDE!? WHAT WAS THAT ONE TIME POINTLESSNESS!?

Spoiler end.



'Life of Melody' is a funny and sweet anecdotal comic in some places. But overall it is a cobbled together, messy piece of random stuff happening, with barely any rhyme, reason or explanation.

It's a shame. It had amazing spices, and a fairy dust, of potential.

Final Score: 2/5

Graphic Novel Review - 'The Last Witch (The Last Witch #1-5)' by Conor McCreery (Writer), V.V. Glass (Artist), Natalia Nesterenko (Colourist), Jim Campbell (Letterer)

Spoilers ahead.

As an avid fan of fantasy, fantasy heroines, magical girls, and witches, after reading 'The Last Witch', I have to say...

I don't get it.

I really don't.

Why do so many people like this? It is severely underdeveloped, even for a supposed start of an ongoing series. There are plot holes galore, it is predictable, poorly planned and structured, and to top it off, it is almost shamelessly unoriginal.

Apart from it being virtually no different from any other seemingly-ordinary-girl-discovers-she's-magical-and-is-in-fact-the-most-powerful-witch-ever-and-only-she-can-stop-the-big-bad-evil-from-taking-over-the-world story out there (complete with her having a dead mother and a useless little brother to protect), there are elements that blatantly rip off 'Avatar: The Last Airbender'. Honestly, I can't describe it any other way - "ripoff" is fitting. The magic (faerie? witch? what's the difference? or is it the same?) is mainly made up of the elements water, fire, air and earth - there are evil witches who have an affinity for each - and only the main heroine, Saoirse, can master all of the magic, and defeat them herself. She literally glows (notably her eyes, every time she performs magic) when she becomes too powerful or overemotional, and she floats in the air. Her finding her balance involves meditating and going into a garden, spiritually. There is a character, Hugh the faerie boy, who looks exactly like Sokka with white hair (he ties it back the same as Sokka, too!), and he even acts like him, only he's smugger, and an annoying sonofabitch who exists to "protect" the "poor, helpless" heroine, because the most powerful witch ever apparently can't take care of herself, nor learn anything by herself. Got to have a male potential love interest in these types of stories!

FFS, even the title has the word 'Last' in it. I've seen reviews that do compare 'The Last Witch' to 'Avatar', and I think the creators of the comic intended it that way, when they should have tried harder to make 'The Last Witch' stand out, as its own unique creation.

Before I go any further, I'll get the positives out of the way:

The art is brilliant. It's vibrant, bold, expressive, and I can really see top tier animation studios hiring the artist and colourist to come work for them. One original idea I can give credit to the comic is the use of Irish folklore and mythology as the basis of its worldbuilding; there aren't many modern fantasy stories about them. And as much as I think that the characters are generic templates found in any fantasy quest fiction, there is one that stands out to me: Saoirse's grandmother. It's nice to show that yes, older people can have adventures too, can be a part of a heroic team, and not exist solely to be the know-it-all mentor who typically dies at some point in the story to further the protagonist's development. Nan doesn't die in this book. In fact, Nan might be the only character I consistently liked. As flawed and even stupid as she is (I blame the idiot ball handling done for plot convenience, same goes for her plot convenient secrecy), she is at least aware of it, and tries to redeem herself. Her cigar chomping and smoking (yet the smoke is hardly ever drawn in, for some reason) is charming, too.

Now that that's brought to pass, back to the problems I had with 'The Last Witch':

Urgh, that title. It makes no sense. There are loads of witches and magic users in the graphic novel; the super special female protagonist, Saoirse, is not "the last witch" in any sense. Existing evil witches are common knowledge in this world. Wait, or are they myth, according to what info is given at the beginning? It's very inconsistent and haphazardly thought out, like most things in 'The Last Witch'.

Saoirse's grandmother is a witch!

Speaking of, slight spoiler here, but whatever: The four evil witches that Saoirse has to kill - yes, kill - in order to save the world from the unleashing of the darkness of a faerie king...they are her grandmother's sisters. Nan is the weakest of the sisters, she is barely a witch, and apparently there are only a few witches around who are considered "good". What makes someone who uses magic "good"? Is it just about corruption?

Anyway, to get back on track, the plot is about Saoirse killing her great-aunts - her own family, right after a great tragedy that made her little brother and grandmother her only close relatives left. Her father and her entire village die. This is never addressed. Ever.

I forgot to mention that Saoirse just turned twelve-years-old at the start of the story. She's a child, an orphan wracked with grief, and she is made to kill more members of her family, because it's her destiny. Apparently. Again, this is never addressed.

She does give the witches she encounters a chance to back down and surrender before she battles them, but this seems like a last minute editorial decision, quick and arbitrary, probably done in order to allay her murdering them, her fellow witches and great-aunts. And this is a children's comic.

(Her father's death is barely mentioned again, either, after it is announced. Great writing there.)

On that note, let's talk about Padraig. Remember him? The comic doesn't seem to, once the adventure starts rolling. Even though he's introduced at the very beginning as Saoirse's friend. And potential love interest, like Hugh (yeah, $%!!^**&^!!! off to $**%$!&^%&!!! with that). Also like Hugh (%$!!**^!, I swear they even have the exact same character model), Padraig is an annoying, smug little shit who insults Saoirse, calls her poor, and calls her grandmother a loony. He borderline abuses her, not merely teases her. You have to wonder why they are friends, and why the stubborn and headstrong Saoirse puts up with him.

Another spoiler here: Padraig disappears from the story as quickly as he appeared in it. It is revealed a little later that he died, and was eaten by the local legendary witch. Yeah, she's real, and the myth of her being evil is true, and she's a cannibal, because of course. Or, Padraig was about to be eaten by her; the artwork and dialogue are not clear.

So not only does Saoirse lose her father and her village to a witch, but she loses her childhood best friend to one at the same time. She saw him being cannibalistically eaten before her eyes.

Guess what? Once her quest with her brother and grandmother begins, Padraig is never mentioned again. He might as well never have existed. What masterful storytelling and character writing.

There is a moment near the end where Hugh casts a spell on the group's wagon - or at least, that's what the reader is told he did at the end-end, that he cast a protection spell on the wagon, before setting off to find Saoirse. But the art and dialogue at the occurrence itself strongly indicated that Hugh stole magic from Nan while she was asleep - draining her, absorbing her magic for his own - before going after Saoirse, marking him as a turncoat. There was nothing to suggest that he cast a protection spell over the wagon. Nan, afterwards, is angry at the faerie boy for what he did to the wagon, not for what he obviously did to her. So he's not a villain, then? Then what was Nan saying "It's not yours...it's not..." in her sleep while Hugh's light show is happening around her all about?

Was there no editor for this graphic novel? How do you get away with this kind of sloppiness, and with such fantastic artwork?

Why do the evil witches, who according to the story must die, have darker skin than the light-skinned heroes? Nan is white, but her corrupted sisters are not. Yikes. How the hell did that fly under everyone's radar, too?

And wow, do these powerful witches (and faeries? Apart from Hugh they barely factor into the book) really have to die at the hands of a twelve-year-old? At the hands of a young girl who a day ago didn't know she was a witch, and who wasn't even sure witches existed up until now?

Additionally, the witches killed both Saoirse's parents on two separate occasions. How convenient.

Finally, there's Saoirse's witchmark. It's what initially marks her as super special. She's had it her whole life, and it has made her an outcast in her village. A freak. Although this is yet another underdeveloped thread that goes nowhere, as well as an example of telling instead of showing. Her secret witch grandmother never explained to her what the mark was and why it was there before, because of reasons. Said mark is an intricate symbol (I think it's supposed to be Celtic?) on her shoulder, that she can just easily cover up with her clothes anytime, if she has to hide it. It's not ugly, like Padraig the dick and sham of a friend says. It's cool. It's pretty. It's the source of her magic powers.

FFS, writers and artists, if you want your heroine to be an outcast because of something to do with her appearance, have the guts to make her ugly! Give her big marks or scars on her face, things she can't hide as easily. Give her a deformity. Or a disability, for some much needed diversity in the fantasy genre. Saoirse is an able-bodied redhead who has boys keep saying how pretty she is! (I remind you, she's twelve!)

Have people who are not white not be the villains or suspicious! This is ridiculous and unforgivable for a 2021 publication.

Okay, one more example of how unoriginal 'The Last Witch' is: It uses a little girl's cloth doll, found by the heroine in a perishing town, as a signifier that people have died, including, likely, the doll's owner; just like in Disney's animated 'Mulan' movie.

Well, I'm done.

I'm sorry, I wanted to like 'The Last Witch', truly, for it seemed like my kind of thing. But I can't overlook bad storytelling, bad, inconsistent editing, overused clichés, tropes and archetypes, and how it offers nearly nothing new to the table. I have no doubt that the production team behind it tried to make it epic and awesome and worth remembering. Sadly, it didn't work for me.

Final Score: 2/5

P.S. I've hesitated to call Saoirse the overused and sexist term "Mary Sue" throughout this review, even though she legitimately ticks most of not all of the boxes for it. The more I think about it, with the evidence presented, the more likely it looks that she is a Mary Sue.

P.P.S. Hang on a second, what about Saoirse's father having the same name as Hugh's faerie warrior grandfather, in a tale told by Hugh? Is that ever going to come back, into play, or in any way? Argh! Stick with your ideas or don't include them at all, comic!